NASA may have shut the space shuttle down, but that does not mean that it is slowing down its ideas for space missions. The agency is said to be considering a mission to send a robotic craft to capture a 1.1 million pound asteroid.

Once captured, the asteroid would then be placed into lunar orbit and could be used to help "deflect" Earth-threatening asteroids. The craft would be launched on an Atlas V rocket and would cost an estimated $2.6 billion which is just a bit more than the Curiosity mission to Mars costed.

The proposed craft would travel to the target asteroid, measure and match its spin and speed, and then retrieve the asteroid using a 10 meter tall, 15 meter wide bag. Being a big proponent of NASA, I really hope this gets the funding and we see it happen in my life time.